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RANAU: A proposal to establish a Sabah durian industry board is expected to drive growth in the State’s durian sector without imposing cess charges on growers, said Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar.

He said the proposal had long been discussed and was now being refined through a working paper that had been submitted to the Cabinet, amid earlier concerns it could burden growers.

Jamawi said the board would instead focus on providing assistance and support to farmers rather than imposing levies, adding that it could help strengthen planning and boost premium durian production in Sabah.

He said Sabah currently produces about 40 per cent of its premium durian needs, with the remaining 60 per cent imported from Peninsular Malaysia, and urged growers to convert village durian trees into premium varieties through mature grafting, with funding announced for the first 500 trees in Ranau.

He said oversupply of village durians had pushed prices as low as RM3 per kilogramme, worsened by simultaneous flowering due to El Niño, and added that the government was strengthening collection and processing centres while seeking more funding for agricultural roads and irrigation to support farmers.